Gear Down and Locked — Or Is It?
Landing gear malfunction on approach to Tampa North Aero Park — a complex aircraft emergency with limited off-field options
The scenario
Departing Tampa North Aero Park Airport (X39), Tampa, FL — Runway 14, a 3,541-foot asphalt strip at 68 ft MSL. You are a commercial pilot with 800 hours total time, current and proficient in the Piper Arrow (PA-28R). This is a local flight: a 45-minute round trip to a nearby field and back.
It is a clear, calm Florida afternoon: OAT 26°C, winds calm to light, visibility 10+ SM. The Arrow is within limits, full fuel, and the preflight was thorough. The airplane was recently out of maintenance — a scheduled 100-hour inspection completed three days ago, including landing gear inspection and lubrication. Nothing was written up.
You are on approach to X39 from the north, descending through 1,200 ft MSL, 8 miles out on a straight-in to Runway 14. You have already requested landing from the CTAF. You lower the landing gear at 1,000 ft AGL. The gear handle moves down smoothly. You expect the three green lights (nose, left main, right main) on the gear panel.
You get two green lights — nose and left main. The right main gear light remains dark. You cycle the gear handle up and down once; the right main light does not illuminate. You are now 6 miles out, 800 ft AGL, descending at 500 fpm. The right main landing gear is not indicating DOWN AND LOCKED.
Aircraft: Piper PA-28R-200, commercial-equipped, constant-speed prop, retractable gear with emergency extension system. The landing gear power pack is electric; the emergency extension is a manual crank system accessible from the cabin. Fuel selector is LEFT / RIGHT (currently LEFT). Vle (max gear extended) is 129 KIAS.
Pilot: you — commercial pilot, 800 hours, 120 hours in the Arrow. You have trained for gear emergencies in the simulator but have never had a real one. You are alone in the aircraft. The nearest controlled airspace is Class B (Tampa International, 17 nm south) and Class D (Brooksville, 15.5 nm east). X39 is Class G, non-towered, CTAF only.
- {'label': 'Field', 'value': 'X39 · Tampa North Aero Park'}
- {'label': 'Runways', 'value': '14/32'}
- {'label': 'Elevation', 'value': '68 ft'}
- {'label': 'Aircraft', 'value': 'PA-28R'}
- {'label': 'Dominant phase', 'value': 'Takeoff / Landing'}
The decision
Before we get into the decision tree — what do you already know about landing gear emergencies in the Piper Arrow? (Pick all that apply; this records your baseline.)
What the record shows
What the NTSB files show
NTSB CEN23LA417 (2023): A Piper PA-28RT-201 experienced partial retraction of the right main and nose landing gear during landing rollout. The cause of the gear retraction could not be determined despite extensive testing. The aircraft exited the runway and was damaged. The probable cause was listed as 'undetermined,' but the mechanism — asymmetric gear configuration creating directional control loss — is consistent with the PA-28R family's known vulnerabilities.
NTSB WPR22LA040 (2021): A Piper PA-28R-200 had a right main landing gear that would not extend during approach. The pilot landed on the left main and nose gear. The cause was traced to an improper right main landing gear door rod-end bolt installed during maintenance, which prevented the landing gear from extending. This is a post-maintenance failure — a maintenance error that created a landing gear malfunction.
NTSB ERA15LA289 (2015): A Piper PA-28R-180 experienced an unsafe nose landing gear indication and performed emergency extension procedures. The cause was undetected fatigue cracks in the nose landing gear strut mount assembly. After extension, the gear was not properly aligned, causing directional control loss and a runway excursion during landing. The pilot had trained for gear emergencies but the structural failure prevented a normal landing.
NTSB CEN11LA418 (2011): A Piper PA-28R-201 made a wheels-up landing after the landing gear power pack motor failed. The pilot did not use the emergency landing gear extension system. The probable cause was the pilot's failure to use the emergency extension system, with the inoperative power pack as a contributing factor. This is a critical lesson: the emergency extension system is the backup when the power pack fails. Not using it results in a wheels-up landing.
The real accidents cited above occurred at other airports and in other aircraft — NOT at Tampa North Aero Park (X39). X39 has its own accident history (see field dominant patterns: LOSS_OF_CONTROL_INFLIGHT 27.3%, LOSS_OF_CONTROL_GROUND 18.2%, OBSTACLE_ON_TAKEOFF_LANDING 9.1%, HARD_LANDING 9.1%, STALL_SPIN 9.1%), but these specific NTSB cases happened elsewhere. The scenario is localized to X39 to make the off-field environment (medium development, wooded wetland off both runway ends) and the runway length (3,541 feet) real and consequential for you as a pilot approaching this field.
The consistent thread across all these events: landing gear malfunctions in the PA-28R are rare but catastrophic. The power pack can fail (CEN11LA418). Maintenance errors can jam the gear (WPR22LA040). Structural fatigue can prevent proper alignment (ERA15LA289). Partial retraction can occur during landing (CEN23LA417). The emergency extension system is the critical backup — and it must be used immediately when the power pack fails or the gear does not indicate down. Delaying the emergency extension decision, or not using it at all, results in either a wheels-up landing or an asymmetric landing with severe directional control consequences.
Key lesson — In the Piper Arrow, a landing gear malfunction on approach is a time-critical emergency. If the gear does not indicate DOWN AND LOCKED after normal extension, declare an emergency immediately, climb to a safe altitude (1,500 ft AGL minimum), and attempt the manual emergency extension system. Do not continue the approach with an uncertain gear indication. The emergency extension system is designed to work — use it. If it succeeds, you land normally. If it fails, you have altitude and options. If you delay or skip the emergency extension, you are committed to either a wheels-up landing or an asymmetric landing, both of which are survivable but damage the aircraft and create directional control challenges. The emergency extension system exists to prevent these outcomes.
Debrief — teaching points
Landing gear indication is not infallible — a dark light does not always mean the gear is up.
In the PA-28R, a landing gear light is powered by the aircraft's electrical system. A burned-out bulb, a loose connection, or a failed switch can cause a dark light even when the gear is down and locked. However, you cannot assume the gear is down based on a dark light. The correct procedure is to declare an emergency, climb to a safe altitude, and attempt the emergency extension system. If the light illuminates after emergency extension, the gear was likely down all along (bulb failure). If it does not illuminate, the gear may actually be up or partially extended. Either way, you have diagnosed the problem at altitude with options, not on short final with none.
The emergency extension system is the critical backup — use it immediately when the power pack is uncertain.
The PA-28R's manual emergency extension system (hand crank) is designed to work when the electric power pack fails or the gear does not indicate down. The procedure is: climb to a safe altitude (1,500 ft AGL minimum), trim the airplane for level flight, engage the autopilot if available, and crank the emergency extension handle 15–20 times, following the POH. The hand crank is mechanically independent of the electric system — it will extend the gear if the power pack has failed. NTSB CEN11LA418 documents a wheels-up landing that resulted from the pilot's failure to use the emergency extension system. Do not skip this step.
Cycling the gear handle more than once risks jamming the mechanism — limit cycling to one or two attempts.
If the gear does not indicate down after normal extension, cycle the handle up and down once to see if it clears the indication. If it does not work on the first cycle, do not repeat. Repeated cycling can jam the gear mechanism further, making the emergency extension system less likely to work. Move immediately to the emergency extension procedure instead.
Asymmetric gear (one main up, one down) creates severe directional control challenges on landing and rollout.
If you land on the nose and left main gear with the right main gear up or not indicating, the right wing is unsupported. As the airplane settles and decelerates, the right wing drops. The right wingtip and fuselage scrape the runway. The airplane veers sharply to the right. NTSB CEN23LA417 and ERA15LA289 both documented this mechanism: asymmetric gear causes directional control loss and runway excursions. The emergency extension system is designed to prevent this outcome. If the emergency extension fails and you must land with asymmetric gear, a larger runway (like KTPA's 12,000 feet) gives you more space to recover with right rudder and right brake than a 3,541-foot field like X39.
A wheels-up landing, flown correctly, is survivable — gear up, full flaps, slowest possible touchdown speed.
If the emergency extension system fails and you decide to land with the gear up, the correct procedure is: retract the landing gear, add full flaps, and descend at the slowest possible speed (approximately 60 KIAS, Vs0 stall speed clean). Touch down on the belly of the fuselage. The airplane will slide along the runway, decelerating from friction and aerodynamic drag. Maintain directional control with rudder. Impact energy rises with the square of speed — the slowest possible touchdown speed minimizes damage and injury. A wheels-up landing is not a failure; it is the correct outcome when the gear cannot be extended.
Vle (max gear extended) is 129 KIAS — do not exceed this speed with the gear down.
The PA-28R's maximum gear-extended speed is 129 KIAS. Exceeding this speed with the gear down risks structural damage to the landing gear and the airframe. If you are descending toward the airport and the gear does not indicate down, do not exceed 129 KIAS until you have either confirmed the gear is down (via emergency extension) or decided to retract it (for a wheels-up landing). Manage your descent rate and speed to stay within limits.
Built from the real accident record
Scenario built from NTSB CEN23LA417 (2023 PA-28RT partial gear retraction during landing), WPR22LA040 (2021 PA-28R right main gear extension failure), ERA15LA289 (2015 PA-28R nose gear strut fatigue / directional control loss), and CEN11LA418 (2011 PA-28R wheels-up landing after power pack failure). Anonymized and localized to X39 (Tampa North Aero Park).
NTSB reports: CEN23LA417 · WPR22LA040 · ERA15LA289 · CEN11LA418
ACS tasks: PA.IX.C — Emergency Approach and Landing · PA.II.C — Preflight Inspection · PA.V.A — Airplane Systems · PA.I.H — Human Factors · PA.IX.B — System and Equipment Malfunctions
Relevant FARs: §91.3 · §91.13 · §91.185
Step through the full decision tree, make the calls, and see where each choice leads — then debrief it with your CFI.
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